3rd Division

Alan Mount gave me one of my greatest book reviews ever! Born in 1919, he knew exactly what was happening as he read my book, Captured by the Enemy, because he had been there fighting in the Navy right behind Carl. He remembered the action of WWII and was so impressed with the details in the book that he made me feel as if I had written a million dollar book. I had the opportunity to meet Alan and talk with him a couple times and discover the stories Alan had to share. Watch Alan’s review here:

Can’t beat an article in the newspaper to help let readers know what this book is all about. Read below to see what it had to say:

In the News

‘Captured by the Enemy’ is Tribute to Grandfather’s WWII Service

It took eight long years, but 18 months after moving to Ponca City, the tribute was finally finished and author Crystal Aceves released her book, “Captured by the Enemy: The True Story of POW Carl Leroy Good.”

As a 12-year-old, Aceves was inspired by her grandfather Carl Good’s 1945 account of life as a prisoner of war and his subsequent escape. “…Although I was only twelve years old at the time, I was mesmerized by his story. It was so interesting and it made me proud that my granddad had lived through such an ordeal and he didn’t let it ruin the rest of his life.”

While Aceves was a college student, she interviewed her grandfather for a college paper. “As I started researching and things began to match up, I wanted to know more. With my granddad’s blessing, I began the journey to write a book that retraced his steps through WWII and the history that went with them.”

And the process of interviewing, gathering stories, researching, and writing began.

“Captured by the Enemy” covers Good’s landing in North Africa with Patton’s 3rd Division. Aceves retraces his steps across North Africa and his preparation for a second amphibious landing into Sicily. The book shares Good’s stories of Sicily during WWII until he is captured by the enemy.

After his capture, the book takes the reader through Good’s experiences in POW camps and participating in a mass prisoner escape into Italy. The book then shares Good’s harrowing life of living on the run for over nine months in the cold Italian mountains. It is a hard look at how the war and the stress from being hunted for so long changed him.

“It is an amazing view from a different perspective of WWII that shares a true and honest view of a hardworking draftee. The language is not harsh because most WWII draftees were not vulgar when speaking,” Aceves said. “It was a time when it is still okay to speak of God and to admit that in war many nonbelievers became believers when it came down to it. It is a good read for teenagers who are prepared to read about the atrocities of war, but it also makes an excellent read for adults who are looking for a true story written about an everyday hero.”

It certainly was not an easy journey to put it all together. When Aceves came up with the idea, she was finishing college, had three young children, and flipped houses at least yearly with her husband and his real estate profession. Although the real estate career changed, the moving did not. As she worked on writing and researching, she lived in Kansas, Iowa, Texas, and Oklahoma. While in Texas, she and her husband had their fourth child. Despite the sleepless nights and exhausting days, Aceves was determined to finish this tribute to her grandfather and veterans like him. The last three years were filled with long, sleepless nights, but she was determined to finish—and finish she did. She chose to put a picture of her family on the back of the book because everyone was involved during the years it took to write it—and yes, she is struggling to keep up with the toddler.

One “Captured by the Enemy” reader wrote a review on Amazon, awarding the book five stars while stating “Just as good as ‘Unbroken.’ You won’t be disappointed.”

With a smile, Aceves added, “I certainly hope you will not be disappointed. It is wonderful piece of history that was made from the true stories of my granddad. It recognizes him as one of the many soldiers who bravely fought in WWII and then was left to adjust to life with new and unforgettable scars that would last him a lifetime.”